John b



"J. B. BEUGLER.

BURIAL APPARATUS.

No. 481,840. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

- INVENTOI? 2 ATTORNEY 7 'NESSES: M40 4%. 4 3205 nurse STATES PATENT O FICE;

JOHN B. BEUGLER, OF DAYTON, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CRAWFORD WILBER, OF SAME PLACE.

BURIAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,840, dated August 30, 1892.

Application filed June 4, 1892. Serial No. 435,545. (No model.

To all whom it may concern: front of the plates connecting the legs with Be it known that I, JOHN B. BEUGLER, of the support, one of the plates beingin section. Dayton, in the county of Rhea and State of In carrying out the invention a beam is Tennessee, have invented a new and useful supported in a horizontal position by means 5 Improvement in Devices for Lowering Burialof four legs 11, two legs being located at each Caskets, of which thefollowing isafull,clear, end of the beam. The beam is preferably and exact description. made rectangular in cross-section and the My invention relates to an improvement in connection between the legs and the beam is devices for lowering burial-caskets, and has a pivotal and adjustable one. This connec- 10 for its object to provide a device capable of tion is effected through the medium of plates being expeditiously and conveniently manip- 12, preferably circular in general contour, the ulated and of simple construction, by means plates being pivotally attached to the beam, of which, when the device is located over a as shown in Fig. 5. A plate is provided for grave, a casket may be lowered therein and each leg and each plate has a clamp-section 15 the rapidity of the descent be under the com- 13 produced thereon, receiving the upper end plete control of the manipulator, and whereof the leg. The plates are pivoted at their by also when the casket has reached the botcenters to the beam 10 and near their periphtom of the grave or vault the sling encomeries are provided with a series of apertures passing the casket will automatically disen- 14, and in connection with each plate a pin 20 gage itself from the casket. 15 is employed, which is passed through one It is a further object of the invention to of the apertures into registering apertures in provide a means whereby the lowering mechthe beam. By removing the pins 15 the legs anism may be moved along a supportingmay be carried inward or outward in direcbeam and locked in any position thereon, and, tion of the ends of the beam, and when a 25 further, whereby the sling and the support proper position of the legs has been obtained therefor will be automatically returned when they may be held in that position by passing disengaged from the casket to a position in the pins through the apertures in the plates close engagement with the operative mechanregistering with the apertures inthe beam. ism of the device. The upper ends of the legs are pivotally at- 30 The invention consists in the novel contached to the clamp-sections 13 of the plate, struction andcombination of theseveral parts, so that the legs, through the medium of the as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and clamps may have vertical movement also. It pointed out in the claims. may be readily observed that the legs may at Reference is to be had to the accompanying any time be folded up parallel with the beam.

3 5 drawings, forming apart of this specification, Each leg near its lower end is provided with in which similar figures and letters of refera collar 16, which prevents the legs from enence indicate corresponding parts in all the tering too far into the ground.

Views. A carriage A is held to travel upon the Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, beam, the upper portion of the carriage being 0 illustrating it in position at a grave, a porprovided with friction-rollers 17, which travel 0 tion of the ground at the side of the grave beupon the beam, and between the lower poring illustrated as broken away. Fig. 2 is a tion of the carriage, at one end, a lock-lever Vertical section taken practically on the line 18 is pivoted, provided with a head 19, having 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section taken a cam-face, and when this lever is carried in 5 essentially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 one direction the cam-face engages with the 5 is a section taken vertically through the deunder surface of the beam and locks the carvice and on the line 4 at of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a riage to it. Vhen the lever is carried in an perspective view of the latch and its releasopposite direction, the cam-face is removed ing mechanism and Fig. 6 is a section taken from the beam and the carriage may be made 50 through the supporting-bar of the device in to travel in direction of either end thereof. I00

At or near the center of the carriage cars are projected downward from its under surface, and bet-ween these ears a peripherally-grooved pulley or wheel 21 is pivoted. The side surfaces of this pulley or wheel are recessed,preferably, as shown in Fig. 3, and in each of the recesses a spring 22 is coiled, one end of each spring being secured to the hub of the wheel and the other end to the ears 20, which hold the wheel, the spindle 23 being fixed in the wheel and turning in the ears.

At the opposite end of the carriage to that in which the lock-lever is located a shaft 24 is held to revolve. Upon this shaft within the carriagea sprocket-wheel 25 is firmly mounted, and outside of the carriage a large peripherally-grooved wheel 26 is loosely mounted, and upon the outer end of the shaft a ratchetwheel 27 is securely fixed, which ratchetwheel is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 28, pivotal] y attached to the outer face of the loose wheel 26, the pawl being spring-pressed. The loose wheel 26 is adapted as a brake wheel, and to that end is surrounded by a strap-brake 29, constructed of spring metal, one end of the brake being secured to an extension 30, projecting from the lower portion of the carriage, while the other end of the brake is attached to the upper end of a lever 31, pivoted upon each extension, the lever being normally held in a position to apply the brake to the periphery of the brake-wheel through the medium of a spring 32,thus rendering accidents impossible, as the coffin cannot be lowered without pressure being applied to the brake-lever.

A chain 33 is attached to the periphery of the small spring-controlled grooved wheel21, and this chain passes overthe sprocket-wheel 25 of the shaft 24:. The lower end of the chain is attached to a bar 34, and to each end of the bar one end of a strap is secured, the straps being designated as 35 and The opposite ends of the straps are also connected by a bar 37, this bar being preferably shorter than the bar 34.

A locking device is also employed, consisting of a plate 38, having its lower end bifurcated and upturned, forming hooks 39. A slide 4:0 has longitudinal movement upon the plate over the bifurcated portion thereof, and this slide terminates at its lower end in a hook 41. The slide, however, is normally drawn upward away from the hooks on the main body of the plate by means of aspring 12, connected with its upper end, as is best shown in Fig. 5.

In the operation of the device, after it has been adjusted over a grave, the beam 10 extending longitudinallythereof, and the casket has been placed upon the straps, the straps passing around it and extending above opposite sides, as shown in Fig. 3, this adjustment of the straps having been effected while the casket is at the end of the grave, the hooks 39 of the locking device are made to engage with the short bar 37, and the slide 40 is drawn downward until the hook at its lower end also engages with the bar between the two main hooks 39. The coffin or casket is then carried over the grave by means of the carriage, and by exerting pressure upon the brake-lever 31 it may be caused to descend rapidly or slowly, as the manipulator may desire, as when the brake-lever is operated to apply the brake to the brake-wheel 26 the pawl 28 will act as a brake upon the ratchet-wheel 27 and retard the movement of the shaft 2%. When the casket or coffin has reached its place of rest, the chain 33 is slackened and the spring 42 upon the locking device will so act upon the slide e0 as to draw the slide upward, the weight being removed from the bar 37, and the slide will carry the bar upward with it, and thereby disengage the bar from the hooks 39 of the body-plate of the device. The bar will readily roll off of the hook 11 of the slide, since it is not very deep, and the pawl 28, being then thrown off from the ratchet-wheel 27, the springs 22 upon the wheel 21, which had been constructed when the chain 33 is drawn from the wheel, expand and automatically carry the chains and the straps which constitute the sling upward out of the way.

By this device it will be readily observed that the lowering of the casket is under the complete control of the operator, and 1t will also be further observed that the unlocking of the sling is entirely automatic, as is also the rewinding of the chain and the return of the sling to the top of the grave.

Having thus described. my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a beam and legs supporting the beam, of a carriage held to travel upon the beam, a spring controlled wheel journaled in the carriage, a shaft, also ournaled in the carriage, carrying a guide-wheel fixed thereto, also a ratchet-Wheel rigidly secured to the shaft, and abrake-wheel loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with a pawl adapted for engagement with the ratchet, a lever controlling the brake-wheel, a band attached to the springcontrolled wheel and passing over the brake-wheel, a sling consisting of straps and united at its ends by bars, and a clamping device carried by the straps and adapted for engagement with one of the bars of the sling, the strap being secured to the other bar, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a beam, legs supporting the same, and a carriage adjustable upon the beam, of a spring-controlled wheel journaled in the carriage, a shaft also journaled in the carriage, a sprocketwhcel secured to the shaft, a ratchet-wheel fast to the shaft, a brake-wheel loosely mounted upon the shaft and provided with a pawl engaging with the ratchet, a brake-strap engaging with the brake-wheel, a lever attached to the strap, a

sling consisting of straps and unitedat its ends by bars, a chain attached to the springcontrolled wheel, passed over the sprocketwheel and attached to one of the bars of the sling, and a clamping device provided with a releasing-slide, the slide and clamping device being adapted for engagement with the other bar of the sling, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a device for lowering coffins, the combination, with the lowering chains or ropes, of a sling consisting of straps and bars uniting the ends of the straps, one of the bars of the sling being attached to the rope or chain, a clamping-plate attached to the rope or chain and engaging with the other bar of the sling, and a spring-controlled releasing-slide carried by the plate engaging with the bar of the sling with which the clamping device engages, as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a supporting-beam, legs adj ustably attached to the beam, and a carriage held to travel upon the beam, of a lowering mechanism carried by the carriage, a sling consisting of straps united at their ends by bars, one of which bars is connected with the lowering mechanism, a clamping-plate connected with the lowering mechanism and provided with claws or hooks to engage with the bars of the sling, and a releasing-slide,spr1ng controlled, carried by the plate and also adapted for engagement with a bar of the sling, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a supporting-beam, legs adjustably secured to the beam, a carr age held to travel upon the beam and provided with a brake-lever, a hoisting mechanism connected with the carriage, and a brake mechanism coacting with the hoisting mechanlsm, of a sling provided at its ends with bars, one of which is connected with the hoisting mechanism, a clamping-plate secured to the hoisting mechanism and adapted for engagement with the other bar of the sling, and a springcontrolled releasing-slide carried by the plate and adapted for engagement with the bar with which the plate engages, substantially as shown and described.

' JOHN B. BEUGLER.

Witnesses:

W. W. OUNNYNGHAM, O. WILBER. 

